Oscar snooze
The 81st Oscar Nominations were announced this morning, and I gotta say, the Academy plays it safer and safer each year. It's pretty much at the point (and has been for a while) where they're as meaningless as the Grammys. That doesn't mean, of course, that I won't still try to see as many as possible in time for the ceremony. Anyway, here are just a couple of my concerns/complaints/comments:
-The Reader? Really? Where did that come from? I'll admit, I haven't seen it yet. But from what I was hearing, it's pretty terrible. But somehow it racked up a Best Picture nod, and Kate Winslet got her Best Actress nom for this film, and not Revolutionary Road (which is what she won her Golden Globe for). Weird.
-Four actors needed to be nominated from Doubt? I realize two of them are Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman, who could sneeze on camera and get the noms, but really now, four? I always think it's too bad when two actors from the same film get nominated in the same category (Amy Adams and Viola Davis are both up for Supporting Actress for Doubt). I guess if they deserved it... But then people like Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky) get the shaft. Doesn't seem right...
-The Academy failed to put an animated film up for Best Picture. WALL-E would have been the perfect precedent-setter. At least it's still nominated for animation...
-The Wrestler didn't get a Best Pic nom. Mickey Rourke better clean house in Best Actor, or I'll be bummed.
-13 nominations for The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button? I enjoyed the film; it was thoroughly entertaining (and young Brad Pitt was in A River Runs Through It-hottness level, so the makeup people should def win), but I'm not sure it needed 13. I mean, Titanic it ain't.
-Speaking of Titanic, for personal reasons, I would've liked to have seen a double-nom for Kate & Leo for Revolutionary Road. Guess they're gonna have to pair up again in another 10 years--third time's a charm!
Not all of the nominations are bad though. Here are some things I'm stoked for:
-Josh Brolin and Robert Downey Jr. up for Best Supporting Actor for Milk and Tropic Thunder, respectively. Brolin was near-perfect, but man, I'd love to see the Academy honor a comedy for once...
-Waltz With Bashir (which AP features as our lead film review in the issue that's out now) is up for Best Foreign Language Film.
-Slumdog Millionaire! Stoked for director Danny Boyle and A.R. Rahman, who was responsible for one of the most engaging soundtracks/scores. (It was nice that MIA's "Paper Planes" was used in the actual film, and not just the trailer--we're looking at you, Pineapple Express.)
-Mickey Rourke!! He got completely ignored for Sin City (which should've been his big, bad comeback), so better late than never.
Anyway, we'd love to know what you think about the noms. Who are you rooting for? Who got left out? Let us know!
Side note: Anyone else notice that the nominations were announced on the one-year anniversary of Heath Ledger's death, who's up for Best Supporting Actor for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight? (As pointed out to me by our production director, John). Conspiracy theorists are go!
-The Reader? Really? Where did that come from? I'll admit, I haven't seen it yet. But from what I was hearing, it's pretty terrible. But somehow it racked up a Best Picture nod, and Kate Winslet got her Best Actress nom for this film, and not Revolutionary Road (which is what she won her Golden Globe for). Weird.
-Four actors needed to be nominated from Doubt? I realize two of them are Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman, who could sneeze on camera and get the noms, but really now, four? I always think it's too bad when two actors from the same film get nominated in the same category (Amy Adams and Viola Davis are both up for Supporting Actress for Doubt). I guess if they deserved it... But then people like Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky) get the shaft. Doesn't seem right...
-The Academy failed to put an animated film up for Best Picture. WALL-E would have been the perfect precedent-setter. At least it's still nominated for animation...
-The Wrestler didn't get a Best Pic nom. Mickey Rourke better clean house in Best Actor, or I'll be bummed.
-13 nominations for The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button? I enjoyed the film; it was thoroughly entertaining (and young Brad Pitt was in A River Runs Through It-hottness level, so the makeup people should def win), but I'm not sure it needed 13. I mean, Titanic it ain't.
-Speaking of Titanic, for personal reasons, I would've liked to have seen a double-nom for Kate & Leo for Revolutionary Road. Guess they're gonna have to pair up again in another 10 years--third time's a charm!
Not all of the nominations are bad though. Here are some things I'm stoked for:
-Josh Brolin and Robert Downey Jr. up for Best Supporting Actor for Milk and Tropic Thunder, respectively. Brolin was near-perfect, but man, I'd love to see the Academy honor a comedy for once...
-Waltz With Bashir (which AP features as our lead film review in the issue that's out now) is up for Best Foreign Language Film.
-Slumdog Millionaire! Stoked for director Danny Boyle and A.R. Rahman, who was responsible for one of the most engaging soundtracks/scores. (It was nice that MIA's "Paper Planes" was used in the actual film, and not just the trailer--we're looking at you, Pineapple Express.)
-Mickey Rourke!! He got completely ignored for Sin City (which should've been his big, bad comeback), so better late than never.
Anyway, we'd love to know what you think about the noms. Who are you rooting for? Who got left out? Let us know!
Side note: Anyone else notice that the nominations were announced on the one-year anniversary of Heath Ledger's death, who's up for Best Supporting Actor for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight? (As pointed out to me by our production director, John). Conspiracy theorists are go!
3 Comments:
Well I'm not dissapointed Dark Knight isn't in best film. (I watched it again and realized it's only good when the Joker or Two Face are one screen) With that said I'm bummed it was shafted for best original score (The Joker music was great)
Button will probably not win anything except best special effects. The Wrestler or Wall-E should have been up for best picture but oh well.
Ledger will win his nom. Very rarely does one film need one specific character to drive it's whole....I don't know EVERYTHING.
Also if Doubt has so many great performances in it why the hell isn't it in best picture? Also why only 3 "best original songs"? And not even the song by The Boss? tsk tsk.
With that said Slumdog gives me faith that there are people who look past the "political statement", or "artistic integrity" to get a film with a universal theme that, pretty much litterally, the whole world can relate to.
I know Heath will win supporting actor, but I sincerely hope that Milk wins everything it's nominated for. That movie was PHENOMENAL and totally deserves it.
I have no doubt that Heath Ledger will win a posthumous Oscar for supporting actor in the Dark Knight.
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